wescott



t Dv nu h S w e nu h S 2 T mi O C ,S m .A E d d 0 M 0 w SAFETY GUARD FORRAILWAY GARS.

No. 357,800.Y

w Wim Mm n 1 n n 5, a f. am W l im @6 y F E .d S wwsw s S E w1 ...w i Mm.naf 5,. .luuu anw HNI g N E :D a P 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

(No Model.)

' E. A. WESCOTT.

SAFETY GUARD FOR RAILWAY GARS.

Pateted Feb. 15, 1887.

4.. s A,... ,y M 4 z n fw .Illu IM UNITED STATI-:s

PATENT OFFICE.

EARL A. VVESOOIT, OF MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TOMILTON BLANCHARD, OF SAME PLACE.

SAFETY-GUARD FOR RAILWAY-CARS.

SPECIFICATION :forming part of Letters Patent Nrn-357,800, datedFebruary 15, 1887.

. Application filed Juno 29. 1886. Serial No. -30,585.

To @ZZ whom it may concern.-

Beit known that I, EARL A. -Wnsoorr, of Minneapolis, in the county ofHennepin, and in the State of Minnesota, have invented certain new anduseful Improvements in Safety- Guards for Railway-Cars; and I do herebydeelare that the. following is a full, clear, and exact descriptionthereof.

My invention relates to safety-guards for 1o railway-cars; and itconsists in certain peculiarities of construction, as will be fullydescribed hcreinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, inwhich- Figure 1 represents a side elevation of a portion each of tworailway-coaches having my invention applied thereto; Fig. 2, a rearelevation of the apron; Fig. 3, an edge view of this apron; Fig. 4, adetail transverse section showing the manner of attaching the guard- -zosections to the car, and Fig. 5 atop plan view of an inspection-gate.

Referring by letter to the drawings, A A represent portions ofrailway-coaches having my safety-guard attached thereto. That portion ofthe guard that is secured to the coach-bodies is preferably constructedof wood, th'ough other suitable material may be employed, and

said portion of the guard is usually composedA of a series oflongitudinal sections, B, that are 3o secured to the under sideof therespective coaches at or near the outer edges of the latter throughouttheir length, including the platforms O, said sections being ofsufficient width in a vert-ical direction as to come down to within asuitable distance of the ground,

and outside the wheels.

The gua-rdsections B are preferably com-` 4.5 ends detachably secured ator near the bottoml of a section, and the otherlikewise connected to theunder side of the coach, as shown by Fig. 4, said rods being arranged atsuitable lintervals.

5o In order to permit workmen to pass under (No model.)

the coaches for the purpose of .inspecting the4 trucks, repairing, &c.,I provide one or more of the guard-sections with a door, D, that isillustrated in detail in Fig. 5, -and those sections that come at theends of the coaches are provided with openings ef, for the respectiveends of the truck-springs E and axle-boxes F, these end sections havingthe lower one of their horizontal strips a extended, as shown at a, Fig.I, so as to come out in line with the 6o sides of the adjacent platformsG, and are secured to vertical hangers g, that depend from saidplatforms. Secured to the steps H of the platforms G are apron-sectionsI I,'that form extensions of the main guards, and are provided withslots 71, through which pass the vertical hangers g, said apron-sectionsbeing composed of suitable flexible material, preferably strong canvas.The stiffening-strips i of each apron-section I has secured theretoplates 7o k, to which are secured the inner ends of spiral or othersuitable springs, m my', the outer ends of these latter parts beingconnected to strips n n', said apron-sections overlapping each otherwhen the coaches are coupled to- 7 5 gether. When the coaches areunited, the strips n', secured to the apron-sections I', are detachablyconnectedl to the springs m', that are in turn secured to the plates la,attached to the stiffening-stripi on the apron-section I. The strips nare united at their inner ends by means of the springs fm to the plates7c on the stiffening-strip t' of the apron-section I', While theirouter. or free ends pass through slots p in this latter section to comeover upon the one, I, as illustrated by Figs. 2 and 3.

By the construction of the apron-sections and the means for uniting thesame, as above described, they are allowed free movement, one upon theother,`to compensate for the varying motion of the coaches Whilerunning, especially in passing around curves n the track, to therebyprevent straining or tearing of said sections. Y

The main guard-sections Brender it impossible for a person falling fromthe end or side of thecoaches to be struck or run over by the Wheels,and the apron composed of the sections I I being connected to the st'epsof the coaches to fill the gap between each two thereroo of personsfalling from said steps or the plat? passenger-coaches, the same isequally appli-` cable to freight or street cars.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new, anddesire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. A safety-guard for railway-cars, consisting of adepending structuresecured to the bodies of said cars, to come outside the wheels thereofand extend to within a sufficient distance of the ground, anddetachably-united apron-sections of canvas or other suitable materialsecured to the respective car steps or platforms of each car to formextensions of the main structure, as set forth.

2. A safety-guard for railway-cars, consisting of a depending structuresecured to the bodies of said cars throughout their length, and outsidethe wheels thereof, and this structure provided with inspection doorsand openings for the ends of the truck-springs and axleboxes, as setforth.

3.v A safety-guard for railway-cars, consisting of a series of sections,each comprising horizontal and vertical strips arranged at suitableintervals, each section removably connected to a car-body, anddetachable bracerods secured at their respective ends to said sectionsand under side of the car, as set forth.

4. A safety-guard for railway-cars, consist- 3 5 ing of a dependingstructure secured to the body of the cars, outside the wheels thereof,and extended to within a sufcient distance of the gro und, and iiexibleapron-sections secured to the steps or platforms of each car to form 4oextensions of the main structnre,-\the opposing apron-sections of eachtwo cars throughout a train overlapping and having a yielding play oneupon the other, as set forth.

5. In a safety-guard for railway-cars, that 43 consists of a dependingstructure secured to the body of the cars, outside the wheels thereof,and extended to within a sufficient dist-ance of the ground, andflexible apron-sections that are secured to the car stepsor platforms to5o form extensions of the main structure, the apron-sections of one carprovided with suitable springs that engage the apron-sections on theopposing car, and the latter of said sections having connected theretoby suitable 55 springs securing-strips that come outside over the formersections, as and for the purpose set forth.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing I have hereunto set my hand, atMinneapolis, in 6c the county of Hennepin and State of Minnesota, in thepresence of two witnesses.

EARL A. WESCOTT.

Witnesses:

MILTON BLANCHARD, E. R. BRENT.

